Chapter 538: A Battle Group That Shakes Antiquity and Dazzles the Present

The Dying Sun Plane.

More than fifty Kodo Beasts had been trekking for days, finally emerging from the scorching, vast Orithas Desert, then continued for two more days; with food and fresh water nearly exhausted, they returned to the planar teleportation array hidden beneath the hill.

Before entering the cave concealed by boulders, Lei En glanced back at the dying sun on the horizon.

As always, the dark sky felt oppressive.

The return journey was uneventful, only a few mild skirmishes, allowing him to absorb and convert over a hundred units of electricity, raising his soul power pool above six hundred units again.

Because the Sunwalker Tribe and he are allies, Dejiko spoke without reservation.

According to him, the Dying Sun Plane originally had over a dozen such teleportation arrays, all set up by the Sun God Anse, capable of linking to the Prime Material Plane and numerous other planes. However, in the divine war over ten thousand years ago, many were damaged or concealed, and few remain usable today.

These planar teleportation arrays consume Sun Crystal energy and can only be activated with Holy Light power.

Dejiko spoke while activating the array.

The massive totemic stone pillar that pierced deep underground became transparent, forming a portal; everyone slipped through, floated weightlessly for a while, and returned to the cavern in Bright Cliff.

"Finally back!"

The Minotaurs were ecstatic.

Everyone breathed the fresh air happily, unconsciously turning their necks and stretching their bodies.

After nearly a month on the Dying Sun Plane, stepping out of the portal, the heat suddenly faded, letting everyone feel a long‑missed comfort, and they finally realized how precious the once‑taken‑for‑granted livable environment was.

Even the exceptionally hardy Kodo Beasts had lost a great deal of weight, looking dehydrated.

"Chief!"

The Minotaur guards stationed in the cavern saluted loudly, each face alight with joy. Through daily prayers they learned that their chief's party had not only solved the problem but that Lord Anse had already awakened, and the entire Sunwalker Tribe was immersed in hope.

Leaving the cavern, they climbed the winding stone steps to the high ground atop Bright Cliff.

The Prime Material Plane had just entered night, a bright moon hung in the sky, shedding cool lunar light.

Night!

Lei En and the Extreme Warriors were a bit unaccustomed; after staying long on the Dying Sun Plane, they had almost forgotten what night felt like.

Dejiko, having experienced this many times, knew exactly who was needed then and promptly arranged cool bathing water, steaming food, and then a completely light‑sealed quiet room for a deep sleep.

When they awoke the next day, everyone's biological rhythms had readjusted.

At dawn, the Minotaurs received news of the chief's return, gathered on the central high ground, and offered their most heartfelt blessings to the party.

Dejiko immediately ordered a grand three‑day banquet for the tribe's new allies.

Lei En did not decline; having no urgent matters, he relaxed for a few days among the Sunwalker Tribe, enjoying the Minotaurs' warm hospitality.

During this time, Dejiko seized the chance to propose sending a group of Sunfire Walkers to the Empire, to follow Lei En's orders.

Lei En gladly agreed.

The Sunfire Walkers numbered twenty‑four Minotaurs, neatly split into two squads, each led by a legendary Sunfire Walker; the leader was the legendary mid‑stage Atomo. The members were also impressive, half high‑stage and half mid‑stage, already constituting twenty percent of the Sunwalker Tribe's elite forces.

Of course, when the Sunfire Walkers arrived at Glamorgan, all lodging, food, cultivation resources, and weaponry were handled by Lei En.

Lei En generously paid the Minotaurs, with compensation equal to that of the Extreme Warriors.

The Sunwalker Tribe lives by hunting and isn't short of money, but earning profit is always pleasing; Dejiko and the Minotaurs further felt that Lei En's character was noble and impartial, and that the Sunwalker Tribe's alliance with the Augustus Family was the right choice.

To fulfill allied duties and ease communication, Dejiko also produced the magical materials the Sunwalker Tribe had amassed over years, selecting a spacious wooden house on the central high ground of Bright Cliff, and asked Lei En to set up a long‑range teleportation array.

That matched Lei En's intention.

He completed the array in just two days, transporting people back to Glamorgan Castle, accompanied by the two squads of Sunfire Walkers and their Kodo Beast mounts.

"Boss."

The guards in the teleportation hall shouted loudly.

Lei En nodded in response and summoned the steward Fabian. The wind spirit appeared as swiftly as a breeze, bowed gracefully, and said, "Master, you have returned."

Upon entering the hall he saw the group of Minotaurs; at a glance it was clear they were of remarkable pedigree, each wielding great power, clad in dazzling armor that radiated golden light, which made his heart race, silently wondering where the boss had recruited such a formidable retinue.

"Fabian, arrange lodging for Lord Atomo, Lady Laiha, and their kin," Lei En instructed specially, "These Minotaur brothers and sisters are allies of the Augustus Family; all accommodations and benefits should follow the Extreme Warrior standards."

"Yes, master."

Fabian immediately understood; the Count placed great value on this group of Minotaurs.

"Esteemed guests, please follow me," he said, immediately approaching the two legendary Minotaurs, courteously inviting them while quickly scanning them.

The tallest male was Atomo, the strongest, at legendary mid‑stage. Slightly smaller was the legendary early‑stage Laiha, a female Minotaur who was still half a head taller than an ordinary adult, her gaze gentle and exuding a comforting aura.

The Minotaurs followed Fabian out, and the Extreme Warriors disbanded on the spot.

"Habu."

Lei En called out to the owner of the Blood Hoof Ranch; this Minotaur had waited in Bright Cliff for almost a month before being teleported back with him.

"Master," Habu bowed, guessing what Lei En was about to say.

"You've worked hard on this trip; here's your reward," Lei En produced a stack of gold tickets worth fifty thousand Gold Shields, warning, "Remember, this time you only went to the Tairen Plateau and saw nothing. I don't want anyone talking about the Holy Beetle or the fused Magic Soul of the Spearwing Knights..."

Before he finished speaking, Habu pounded his chest and swore, "Master, I guarantee with my commercial reputation that I will not utter a single word beyond this."

Then he stared eagerly at the gold tickets in Lei En's hand.

Lei En stared at the Minotaur for a few seconds; this fellow indeed had some commercial reputation in Mo Du, and in previous purchases of Magic Souls, the Spearwing Knight's secret had never leaked.

The Soul Eye saw he was truthful, then handed over the money.

"Thank you, master; your generosity nearly rivals your wisdom," Habu cradled the gold tickets, flattered wildly.

His ranch's annual net profit was only a few hundred thousand Gold Shields; this time he merely provided a route and acted as an intermediary, doing nothing else yet earning a clean fifty thousand Gold Shields, making him ecstatic.

"Enough flattery," Lei En chuckled, "If you obtain any valuable unique Magic Soul, remember to send it over. Now go."

"May I be excused, master?" Habu bowed, smiling contentedly as he left.

Lei En returned, teleporting to Jin Gang Fort.

In the teleportation hall, he said to a stationed Spearwing Knight, "Menard, notify all company and squad leaders who have reached rank four; those available should head to the meditation room immediately. If any brothers are on rotation in the Augustus Principality, they should also find time to return within a few days."

"Yes, master!"

The Gunwing Knight was thrilled; the Count actually remembered his name.

He is a third‑rank Gunwing Knight, and soon hopes to rise to fourth rank; knowing some inside information, he immediately guessed that Lei En had already found suitable magic souls for the company commanders, so when he himself advances to fourth rank, he won't have to wait.

Menade sprinted out to inform the officers inside Jin Gang Fort.

In less than three minutes, a dozen fourth‑rank Gunwing Knights hurried to the meditation chamber, saw Lei En, respectfully saluted, and then joined the formation.

Although they tried hard to conceal their expressions, their faces were still full of unmistakable excitement.

Lei En scanned the Gunwing Knights with his Soul Eye.

These individuals have undergone a second Soul Transformation and risen to fourth rank; although they have not yet fused a magic soul, they are among the strongest in the entire Gunwing Knight corps.

He has always adhered to the merit‑based standard: most fourth‑rank Gunwing Knights are appointed as company commanders, each leading ten squads for a total of 120 men. However, there are only ten company commander slots at present, so six or seven fourth‑rank Gunwing Knights can only serve temporarily as squad leaders until new companies are formed and they can be promoted.

The earliest batch of over three hundred Gunwing Knights were slaves of the Kemeier people from the Mishao Peninsula; of the elite, only seven are still able to become company commanders.

Unsurprisingly, as the Gunwing Knight corps expanded, the proportion of Kemeier among the high ranks kept dropping, and eventually most came from the Kangjiatuo people of the Augustus Grand Duke.

After all, slaves' innate talent cannot compare to the exceptional individuals selected from millions.

Nevertheless, the young man Desen, whom he had previously favored highly, remains the most outstanding member of the corps.

After years of training, the once‑immature boy has become a robust, tall youth, his face bearing confident radiance, his gaze resolute, as if reborn.

The Soul Eye saw that Desen is about to enter another ascendant state; within half a year he will become a fifth‑rank Gunwing Knight. His strength is also the strongest in the corps—swordsmanship, bravery, and leadership are all unparalleled, and no one in the corps dares to oppose him.

Therefore, Lei En appointed him as one of the two battalion commanders.

If Desen continues to excel and reaches a high tier within three years, Lei En even plans to focus on cultivating him into a Legend, appointing him as the corps commander of the Gunwing Knights. Given Desen's elite‑Wizard‑level talent and steady resource supply, there should be no problem.

At this moment, Desen looked at his lord, his eyes full of anticipation.

"Everyone who could arrive today is here, so let's begin," Lei En said, laying out the soul stones that store Holy Beetle magic souls on the table.

Seeing the soul stones, the Gunwing Knights became excited.

"Lord, what kind of magic soul is this?" someone asked, staring at the soul stone.

"You'll know once you fuse them."

Lei En smiled, used his Soul Eye to discern each Holy Beetle magic soul's wave frequency and matched them with the Gunwing Knights. In no time, every fourth‑rank Gunwing Knight received the magic soul that best suited them and rushed into the meditation chamber to fuse.

He waited outside; a few minutes later someone completed the fusion and emerged from the meditation chamber.

It was Desen.

Lei En asked with a smile, "How does it feel?"

"This is insanely strong!" Desen exclaimed, his face full of surprise.

The magic soul was unexpectedly powerful, boosting his strength by more than double, greatly enhancing his defense, allowing him to raise a solid golden shield that seemed able to withstand several shots from a submachine gun, and granting him a healing spell.

Attack, defense, healing—such an all‑round magic soul and Element were beyond anything he had ever imagined.

Moreover, the Holy Beetle magic soul raised his Soul Power, saving several months of cultivation, so he can soon ascend to fifth rank.

Desen felt his strength had more than tripled!

He couldn't help asking, "Lord, what exactly is this magic soul? And these abilities, they're dazzling—I think I've heard of them before…"

Lei En explained, "You fused a Holy Beetle and now wield Holy Light Power."

"Holy Light Power!"

Desen was shocked, exclaiming, "Isn't that only mastered by followers of the Sun God? Are Gunwing Knights becoming Sun Knights?"

At that moment, several Gunwing Knights finished their fusions and emerged from the meditation chamber; hearing Desen's words, they all turned pale. One who knew something about the matter trembled and worried, "Lord, could this provoke a crusade from the Sun Church?"

"No need to worry; I will handle it," Lei En said calmly, reassuring, "The Sun Church's reach does not extend to the Empire. I have hired a group of instructors for you; they are Minotaurs, Sunfire Walkers who wield Holy Light Power, and will begin training you in Holy Light Power tomorrow."

The Gunwing Knights breathed a sigh of relief, then were astonished.

Minotaurs?

Sunfire Walkers who wield Holy Light Power? So they're not Sun Knights!

Lei En gave them a general overview of the Sun Chaser Tribe, of course omitting any mention of the Dim Sun Plane or the Sunfire God; matters of deities are best left unknown to ordinary mortals.

After outlining some precautions, Lei En disbanded the Gunwing Knights and teleported them back to Glamorgan Castle.

Sitting in the magical laboratory, he opened his phone interface.

He still had over six hundred energy units available; after a moment's thought, he decided to use them to enhance Extreme Warriors. As the original body, all Extreme Warriors are his symbionts, inheriting part of his physical attributes, including strength, defense, resistance, and Willpower.

One by one they poured Soul Power into strengthening the Extreme Warriors, and a few hundred energy units were insufficient.

Thus, the quickest method is to boost the original body's physical attributes—that is, himself—to uplift all Extreme Warriors.

"Either strengthen 'Strength' or strengthen 'Iron Body', " Lei En muttered.

He glanced at the 'Strength' Element icon; the level‑10 progress bar was near forty percent, requiring less than three hundred energy units to upgrade.

Since merging the Bimon Beast magic soul, the Iron Body had barely been used; it would take at least five hundred energy units to boost it to level five.

"Let's boost Strength instead."

Lei En began feeding energy; the Strength progress bar surged, reaching its limit in under thirty seconds, the icon flashing as it rose to level eleven!

A massive power filled his body, prompting him to hum.

Eleven‑level Strength was just one level shy of advancing to a Legendary Element; with a thought, Lei En retrieved from the Nebula Ring the full set of "Titanic Power Armor" he had exchanged from the Titan Elder, which he had never used in battle, and instantly swapped his silver light armor for it.

The delicate light‑blue armor fit him, its style simple yet hefty, faint lightning runes flickering across it; once worn, his silhouette expanded by two sizes, encasing him tightly like a moving metal fortress.

At first glance, no one would think he was a Wizard.

He looked more like a fully armed Iron Guard.

The Titanic Power Armor consists of six pieces—helmet, chestplate, gauntlets, belt, greaves, and war boots—each bearing a distinct enchantment that speeds lightning spellcasting, boosts resistance, generates a sturdy shield, reduces load, and so on, but the most potent effect comes from having all six assembled.

At once, the armor's enchantments activated, raising his Strength by one level!

"Huh…"

Lei En stood, exhaling a long breath, feeling boundless power; every muscle and fiber underwent a qualitative change, harboring an indescribable, terrifying force!

At the same time, every Extreme Warrior, wherever they were, sensed their power surge.

Many Extreme Warriors had already reached the peak of level nine, just one step away from breaking through, the power boost from the original body let them break through the bottleneck, triggering Soul Transformation, and entering Legend!

Boss!

I've gotten stronger again...

Lei En heard the inner voices of many Extreme Warriors; some were training, or on patrol, standing guard, and the sudden increase in power left them both startled and delighted, quickly rallying their spirits.

"Don't panic, brothers who have been promoted to Legend, report to me later." Lei En soothed his symbiont through the original body contract.

Moments later, the Extreme Warriors' Soul Transformation ended.

Lei En checked the symbionts' avatars on his phone, counted them, there were 240 Extreme Warriors, over fifty of whom had been promoted to Legend, most of them members of the 1st Company's Guard Company.

He nodded slightly, very satisfied.

Once his strength is enhanced to level twelve and his Iron Body reaches level five, sooner or later all Extreme Warriors will be promoted to Legend.

A Supernatural Legion entirely composed of Legends will surely shake the ages!

(End of chapter)